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Calaveras County officials urge cuts and use one-time funds to bridge sizable budget shortfall
Summary
County leaders told supervisors the FY2027 recommended budget faces a significant deficit and urged maintaining proposed reductions while using one-time funds only as a bridge; the board gave staff direction on a package of reallocations and restorations and asked for a detailed adjustment packet on June 23.
Calaveras County officials told the Board of Supervisors on June 10 that the county faces a significant budget shortfall and must prioritize legally required services while minimizing harm to residents.
"We have a significant deficit," the county administrator said, urging supervisors to keep the reductions proposed by departments and to use one-time funds only to bridge the gap rather than as a recurring fix.
The remark framed a daylong review of proposed cuts and restorations. Staff presented a consolidated list of general-fund changes the board asked it to consider, including $380,000 in sheriff overtime reductions, a proposed assessor appraiser position funded at $114,637, a partial restoration for the archives (about $22,272 for 20% of a position plus services and supplies) and several public-safety and court-related restorations. Denise, the budget lead, said the combined adjustments and revenue reallocations discussed at the meeting reduce the need to draw on county capital in the short term but do not eliminate the structural imbalance.
The board worked through several swaps of ongoing revenue sources to limit pulling from one-time capital reserves. The most concrete changes staff will carry forward for the June 23 packet include moving $127,000 from TOT (transient occupancy tax) revenue into general revenues, removing a dispatch contract from the general-fund expense line and restoring a deputy district attorney position (funded in part through a Prop 172 transfer discussed separately).
Sheriff’s office staffing and overtime were a particular focus. Staff recorded $380,000 in reductions to overtime across patrol, jail, dispatch and other units; sheriff staff asked the board to consider restoring some overtime dollars while also reinstating a frozen SST (specialized staff) position to maintain essential public-facing services. Denise recommended, and the board directed, a compromise approach: add limited overtime lines back into patrol and dispatch and reinstate the SST position while continuing to monitor costs at midyear.
Staff emphasized these figures are preliminary. "These are technical adjustments; I'll bring you an adjustment sheet on the 23rd," Denise said, noting that the packet will include the exact line-item moves necessary to balance funds under the board's direction.
Why it matters: County officials said that without the mix of reductions and revenue shifts under discussion, the county could sustain current operations for only roughly two more years before deeper cuts would be unavoidable. The board voted to adopt the working budget direction and asked staff to return with formal adjustment documents at the June 23 meeting and a final proposed budget later in the fiscal cycle.
Next steps: Staff will prepare the detailed adjustment packet and a clean budget file for the board’s June 23 meeting, including all technical transfers, restored positions and any changes to district allocations.
